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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Clothespin Apron Tutorial

We're so happy to have Bloom guest Chris of Pickup Some Creativity here today to share a fun, useful apron tutorial. Enjoy!

Hello fellow Bloom readers. I'm honored and excited to be here today. My name is Chris. I write about my thoughts on creativity--both my own and my family's--at Pickup Some Creativity. My husband and I have been married for almost 11 years, and have four children ages 9 to 2. We currently live in the country in Southern Idaho, a big change for this city girl, but we've really enjoyed it.

Last year my husband bought me a clothesline. It is one of those umbrella versions, that we can take down when we mow the lawn and during winter. I love it. Hanging clothes on the line gives me a chance to slow down for a moment. The simple task allows my mind to work out problems, ponder solutions, and I can keep an eye on my children playing outside. Bonus, it saves on utility expenses too.

Not so flattering photo of me courtesy of the Idaho winds and my 9 year old.

I had a clothespin bag, but it was not convenient with a turning clothesline. So, I decided to make an apron. My friend Caroline made a clothespin apron, and I'd seen this clothespin apron a while back, so this is my take. I used part of my husband's worn-out jeans, and other materials I had on hand from making an apron for a wedding gift. So, this was an on-hand project.

You'll need the following materials:

BIG jeans to cut up

Fat quarter of a favorite fabric

2 yards bias tape

90 inches of 3" wide strip fabric for tie

Your sewing tools, including your iron and ironing board.

Step one. Cut out your pieces.

For the main body of the apron, cut along one of the seams to open up a leg of your worn-out jeans. Lay it out, and then trim so you have a square about 15" by 16".

Your fat quarter will be the large pocket. Cut a square 15" by 15". Then cut as shown here, to create the pocket openings.

It should look like this when it is cut out:

Next, cut your tie fabric. If you don't have a 90" long piece of fabric, cut as long a strip as you can, and join them together like this:

Step two. Prepare the pocket.Carefully pin two pieces of bias tape to cover the curved edges of the pocket openings. Sew into place.

To make sure I'm sewing everything in place where I want it, I like to sew the bias tape as shown, then fold over and topstitch. The final product looks like this:

Step three. Attach pocket to denim. The nice thing about using jeans is you can use the original hem. To attach the pocket, I sewed and zigzag stitched the bottom of the pocket to the jean square right sides together. It's hard to tell with this picture (sorry!) but the hem is covered by the fabric here.

Now fold the fabric back up, and topstitch over the seam you just sewed.

Pin the sides of the apron together, and baste in place. Next, use the bias tape to finish the sides of the apron. I started the tape 0.5" below the edge of the apron, and fold over as shown to cover the bottom edge.

Sew just you did the pocket edges.

Step 4. Attach the tie.To make the tie, I followed the same basic method as I did for my teacher's apron. First, iron the long strip in half, and then iron the edges in towards the center. If you want to add a nice touch to the ends, you can do so using this method:

Identify the center of your tie. I do this by folding in half, and ironing in a little mark. Open up the tie, and place the apron in the middle of the tie, matching the center marks. Zigzag stitch to keep in place.

Finally fold over the tie, and sew along all edges with a topstitch about 1/8" from the edge.

Congratulations, you've made a great apron that will help you enjoy the simple task of drying clothes on the line that much more!

Chris, I love what you said about hanging your laundry - thanks for sharing this neat apron idea!

I love the last photo the most - I could imagine pressing 'play' on that photo, and see her collecting fresh eggs from those cute chooks in her pretty clothes and gumboots!! Her photos make me want to BE her!! Can't wait for the line to launch. The polka dot shirt, cute skirt, and wellies are a look I dream about every fall! Thank you.nursing clothes